Surgery

Training Eligibility & Application Information

The Sustainable Trauma Research, Education, and Mentoring (STREaM) Program in Cameroon will support multidisciplinary trainees at three educational levels (MPH, PhD, and post- doctoral) to create a critical mass of trauma researchers in Cameroon that will set the foundation for a sustainable Injury Center at the University of Buea.

STREaM Cameroon will build on the solid foundation of Buea’s MPH and PhD programs by leveraging existing and emerging partnerships through a carefully curated curriculum focused on methodological strengthening, as well as coursework on injury prevention and trauma research.

STReaM Training Program

During the five-year training program, a total of 2 post docs, and eight PhD and Master’s level students per year will be trained using a team mentoring approach. Master’s and PhD students will take part in online courses throughout their training, administered through the University of California Berkeley and University of California San Francisco’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. All students will participate in mentored research. Additionally, post-docs will spend one semester at Berkeley receiving in-person training to prepare them for faculty positions at University of Buea.

Upon completion of the STReaM program, graduates will successfully engage in innovative, evidence-based research to improve the quality of trauma care and reduce the burden of injury among vulnerable populations in SSA. STReaM Cameroon graduates will thus be trained and equipped to mentor the next generation of scientists in trauma research, playing a critical role in influencing healthcare practices and policy locally and internationally.

Each STREaM trainee will complete a trauma-focused research project with direct mentorship from a faculty team tailored to the trainee’s project objectives. Mentorship teams will be drawn from a multidisciplinary faculty at Buea and across three University of California (UC) campuses (Los Angeles (UCLA), Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and San Francisco (UCSF) with expertise in trauma, biostatistics, implementation science, and QI. To create a community of practice for trauma research in Cameroon, STREaM graduates will form the Cameroon Trauma Research Network which will support researchers to design, lead, implement, and scale innovative, transdisciplinary interventions within Cameroon and SSA to improve trauma prevention and treatment.

The STREaM Training Program is a consortium among Cameroonian and US institutions including the University of Buea, UCLA, UC Berkeley and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Cameroon campus. The training program will include:

  • Select quantitative coursework from the UC Berkeley’s public health program and implementation science curriculum from UCSF
  • A four-course “Fundamentals of Trauma Research” series
  • Applied research projects in trauma research and QI supported by multidisciplinary mentorship teams
  • Intensive professional development in writing, presenting, research ethics and administration through coursework offered at UCLA CTSI
  • The creation of a new Cameroon Trauma Research Network to sustain a community of practice for program graduates.

We aspire to create a critical mass of multidisciplinary graduates who speak the common language of trauma and set the foundation for a self-sustaining Injury Center at the University of Buea with expertise in public health, advanced methodologies, and trauma research.

Trainee Eligibility Criteria

STREaM candidates (postdoctoral, PhD, and MPH) must be committed to improving trauma-related health outcomes in Cameroon and in SSA, and show potential for success in trauma and injury control research. Applicants should have the following qualifications:

  • Postdoctoral: A doctoral degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. Public Health and/or Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science etc.) exceptional quantitative skills, a strong interest/commitment to trauma research; interest or track record in teaching/mentoring; intention to join the faculty at the University of Buea
  • PhD: Exceptional students with a master’s-level degree in a quantitative discipline or public health-related field; prior research experience preferred; commitment to trauma research as a career
  • MPH: Undergraduate degree in a quantitative or public health-related field; candidates with a clinical background strongly encouraged; interest/commitment to trauma research

Application

A call for applications for the positions of post-doctoral fellows will be published at the beginning of the program.

Other applicants to the STREaM program will be selected among students admitted in the MPH and PhD programs of the Department of Public Health and Hygiene of the Faculty of Health Sciences of University of Buea. Available positions will be advertised on this website and on the official site of the University of Buea by the end of July every year.

Applicants to STREaM must submit the following materials:

  • CV
  • Personal statement
  • Transcripts
  • Two (2) reference letters (addressed to the Buea STREaM Program Coordinator), one of which must be from their Head of Department or Faculty Dean.

All application materials should be submitted to the following email: [email protected]

Accepted scholars will be invited to a one-day training orientation at the University of Buea, consisting of a detailed overview of the program and expectations, an introduction to PASE-UCLA and its academic partners, and information about all aspects of training and associated timelines.

STREaM Cameroon is supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number D43TW012186.